Renée’s round-up of grants and funding - November

Here’s a round up of business grants that have come through my inbox this month, it’s fast moving so check back here every month for updates on what programmes have been released.

As we reach the end of the year, grants and competitions are gearing up for 2026 so look through to the end to make sure you’ve checked all opportunities.

Good Luck and let me know how you get on!

Renée

Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge

Hello Tomorrow aims to empower deeptech start-up entrepreneurs from around the world. The project must be in its early stages of development or about to be spun-out from academic labs as long as there is strong proof-of-concept.

It should be based on a new technology, scientific discovery or a complex engineering process. The project may solve an industrial, societal or environmental unmet need or create a new market. There should be a team of at least two people working on the project.

The programme will provide a platform for research and projects, providing equity-free prize money as well as other funding opportunities, global visibility and connections with key players in the deeptech innovation network and other fellow entrepreneurs.

Applicants should be able to fit in at least one of the following ten Global Challenge tracks:

Aerospace
Advanced Computing & Cyber Security
Automotive, Maritime, Rail Transportation and Operations
Climate Teach and Environmental Protection
Digital Health & Medical Devices
Energy
Food & Agriculture
Industrial AI and Robotics
Industrial Biotech and New Materials
Medical Biotech and Pharmaceuticals
Resource Efficiency and Circular Systems
Semiconductors and Advanced Electronics
Sustainable Construction & Infrastructure
AI Horizons
Emerging Pioneers

Closing date: 30 November 2025
Apply here: Hello Tomorrow Challenge

The Pitch

Powered by SeedLegals, the UK and Ireland’s largest pitching competition is back and bigger than ever, taking place in Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and London.

There is a grand prize of £25k for the winner and 2 weeks of exclusive mentoring for all 60 finalists to get pitch-ready before the events.

Closing date: 1 December 2025
Apply here: Enter The Pitch 2026

Paul Hamlyn Foundation – Ideas and Pioneers Fund

The Ideas and Pioneers Fund provides grants to individuals, groups and small organisations who are focused on exploring an innovative new idea or approach for change. Their ideas should be ‘bold and brave,’ have a charitable purpose and be:

Challenging injustice – Ideas should show a clear vision to help build a better society and contribute to shifting power and challenging and transforming the root causes of systemic oppression. There is interest in ideas working at a local level as those working at a national level.
Emerging – The funding is for ideas that are still forming. Applicants need to have a clear sense of the learning and experimenting they need to do to progress their idea.
Long-term potential – ideas with a long-term impact

The funding can support a number of things, including but not limited to research to develop the idea, gathering evidence for a campaign, bringing people or communities together to build power, and paying the applicant or others to deliver these activities.

Closing date: 2 December 2025 (13:00)
Apply here: Ideas and Pioneers Fund | Paul Hamlyn Foundation

2026 Ashden Awards

The initiative recognises work that reduces emissions and delivers environmental, social and economic benefits by organisations delivering practical responses to climate and energy challenges. The awards aim to highlight approaches that strengthen resilience, support inclusive growth and reduce pollution, while encouraging policy and investment support for renewable energy.

Awards will focus on projects improving access to clean energy or protecting and restoring nature. Examples of eligible activities include local renewable energy systems, forest conservation models and clean cooking solutions. Winners will receive:

Up to £40,000 in grant funding
Tailored communications and organisational support
Global media exposure and storytelling support
Connections to funders, investors, and policymakers.
The opportunity to participate in Ashden’s wider programmes and alumni network

Closing date: 8 December 2025 (23:59)
Apply here: https://ashden.org/awards/

Made Smarter Innovation: SME resource and energy efficiency – feasibility studies

The aim of this competition is to explore new industrial digital technologies for manufacturers. These IDTs will improve the sustainability, resilience and productivity of micro, small or medium-sized enterprise manufacturers by improving energy or resource efficiency.

Projects must focus on the innovation of digital solutions relating to one or more energy or resource efficiencies, and must be affordable, easy to use and scalable across SMEs.
This competition is split into two strands: one focused on Feasibility Studies and one focused on Industrial Research projects.

This competition is jointly operated by Innovate UK (IUK) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

Closing date: 10 December 2025 (11:00)
Apply here: Competition overview – MSI: SME resource and energy efficiency – feasibility studies – Innovation Funding Service

Biomedical Catalyst 2025: Industry-led R&D Projects Competitions

Innovate UK is providing funding through the Biomedical Catalyst programme to support industry led research and development projects addressing health and healthcare challenges. The competition is aimed at micro, small and medium-sized enterprises developing innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes or transform healthcare delivery.

Projects may focus on areas such as disease prevention, early diagnosis, tailored treatments, healthcare transformation, digital health technologies and consumer focused self-care. Eligible sectors include advanced therapies, biosciences, preclinical tools, therapeutics, diagnostics, medical technologies, precision medicine, digital health and healthy ageing, among others.

Applicants must demonstrate commercial and technical feasibility, with proposals showing how the project will enhance the competitiveness and productivity of at least one UK SME partner. The competition has two strands:

Biomedical Catalyst 2025: Industry led R&D small projects – up to £500,000 grant funding
Biomedical Catalyst 2025: Industry led R&D large projects – over £500,000 grant funding.

Closing Date: 10 December 2025 (11:00)
Apply here: Competition overview – Biomedical Catalyst 2025: Industry led R&D small projects – Innovation Funding Service

National Materials Innovation Programme: Feasibility Studies Competition

This competition is operated by Innovate UK (IUK) and supports projects that accelerate the translation of advanced materials innovations into industrial adoption. Projects must align with one of six high growth themes identified in the National Materials Innovation Strategy, or with the strategic opportunity theme of metamaterials and metasurfaces.

Eligible focus areas include net zero energy solutions, future healthcare, structural innovations, advanced surface technologies and materials durability, next generation electronics, telecommunications and sensors, and consumer products, packaging and specialist polymers. Applicants must demonstrate how their proposed work will enable faster progression of materials innovation toward industrial application.

The competition will fund feasibility projects with a total budget of up to £2 million. Eligible projects can request grant funding between £50,000 and £100,000.

Closing date: 17 December 2025 (11:00)
Apply here: Competition overview – National Materials Innovation Programme: Feasibility Studies – Innovation Funding Service

World of Opportunity – SME Exporter Grants Programme

Heathrow is calling for SMEs in every corner of the UK to come forward and share their exporting ambitions. The UK’s hub airport is relaunching its World of Opportunity Programme, which helps UK exporters to sell their goods and services around the world, for 2025-2026.

The Programme is designed to support the UK’s SMEs in boosting their export potential, with previous grants being used for trade missions, research, and training to further exporting ambitions. This programme will provide £2,000 grants to 12 SME businesses across the UK, with one grant awarded to a business from each region and nation.

Closing Date: 31 December
Apply here: World of opportunity | Heathrow

UNltd – Awards for Social Entrepreneurs

The funding is intended to support social entrepreneurs by helping them nurture their social ventures and grow their impact.

The following levels of funding are available:

Starting Up – funding of up to £8,000
Scaling Up – funding of up to £18,000 for a social enterprise that has been operating for between one to four years.

In addition to funding, award recipients will be assigned to one of UnLtd’s dedicated programmes to provide support aligned with the needs of their social venture for up to one year.

Closing date: 31 December
Apply here: Awards | UnLtd

Enterprise Nation’s Finance Beyond Borders

Finance Beyond Borders is a free learning programme offering funding and business support to small businesses engaged in, or planning, international trade.

The initiative provides practical guidance and tools to help businesses simplify cross-border payments, manage multi-currency accounts, and strengthen their financial operations. The programme aims to help founders understand how to expand internationally while managing costs, streamline financial management, and make informed decisions.

Through the programme, two grants of £1,000 each are available, alongside a mentoring session and live, interactive webinars. In addition, participants can benefit from an exclusive offer from Airwallex, a financial platform designed to support cross-border transactions, multi-currency management and cost efficiency.

Closing date: 31 December 2025 (16:59)
Apply here: Airwallex Finance Beyond Borders | Scale your business stronger

TechX Clean Energy Accelerator

TechX Clean Energy Accelerator is provided by the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC). The funding is intended to help innovative clean energy start-ups develop their technologies and grow their business.

Applications will be accepted from companies at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) three to six, specialising in the following focus areas:

CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage)
Renewables and grid
Hydrogen and alternative fuels
Industrial decarbonisation.

Applicants must be developing a novel clean energy technology which is fully owned by the start-up. Up to £50,000 in grant funding is available for selected start-ups.

Closing date: 5 January 2025 (23:59)
Apply here: TechX Clean Energy Accelerator

Green Growth Awards

Small Business Britain, in partnership with BT, is proud to launch the Green Growth Awards. This is a celebration of 100 inspiring UK small businesses that are successfully using sustainability to drive business growth.

From cutting waste and saving energy, to rethinking supply chains and attracting new customers, these businesses are showing that sustainability isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for business too!

Successful businesses will be invited to an awards event in March 2026, hosted by BT. At the event two standout firms will each receive a Green Growth Award. This is a £5,000 grant to help them scale their sustainability goals.

Closing date: 9 January 2026
Apply here: Small Business Britain | Green Growth Awards

Business Boost Grants – Elmbridge

The business boost grants can help your business with:

Grant support up to £2,000 to help businesses improve their shop fronts or signage
Grant support up to £2,000 to help bring a shop that has been empty for at least 3 months back into commercial use
up to £1,000 to help town or village wide projects to drive new footfall, investment, street-scene improvements or sustainability.

All applications need at least 50% match funding and 2 quotes for each element.
Town and village centre independents can also apply for support to help sell online with the digital high street boost and small and medium sized business can get help to invest in energy efficiency projects with the green business boost.

Closing date: Applications can be made at any time.
Apply here: Support for businesses | Elmbridge Borough Council

Business Support Grants – Reigate & Banstead

Business Support Grants of up to £1,000 for residents and businesses with fewer than 5 employees based in Reigate and Banstead.

Grants can be used to help fund things like marketing, new equipment or training. Please note the grant is NOT available for the development of prototypes or for IT equipment such as laptops, unless you are a brand new start up and do not possess any IT hardware.

Closing date: applications can be made at any time.
Apply here: Business Support Grants | Business Support Grants | Reigate and Banstead

Greener Homes Alliance Development Loans

Homes England and Octopus Real Estate have launched the second phase of the Greener Homes Alliance. The scheme provides discounted development finance to small and medium-sized (SME) housebuilders. The initiative supports the construction of energy-efficient homes across England.

A total of £150 million is available. Loans range from £2 million to £20 million. Interest rate reductions of up to 2% are available for developers who meet environmental and social criteria. Eligible applicants include SME housebuilders and developers operating in England.

Closing date: Applications can be made at any time

Apply here: Greener Homes Alliance | Octopus Capital

Co-operative Enterprise Loans

Co-operative and Community Finance offers loans of between £10,000 and £85,000 for new or existing co-operatives across the UK. Loans are to assist with the expansion, setup, or development of a co-operative enterprise.  

Loans will only be made to economically viable enterprises that are democratically owned and controlled organisations registered in the UK.

Closing date: Applications can be made at any time

Apply here: Co-op Loan Fund – Unique lending: to co-ops, from co-ops

Surrey Hills Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) Grants

The FiPL programme provides grants to farmers and land managers in the Surrey Hills for one-off projects to make improvements to the natural environment, climate change mitigation, cultural heritage and public access on their land.

Closing date: March 2026

Apply here: Surrey Hills Farming in Protected Landscapes FiPL

The Workplace Charging Scheme

The Workplace Charging Scheme provides support for organisations towards the cost of installing up to 40 electric vehicle chargepoint sockets at their sites.

The scheme covers up to 75% of the total costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints (including VAT). This is capped at a maximum of:

£350 per socket
40 sockets across all sites per applicant. For example, if you install at 40 sites, you will have 1 socket per site

All chargepoints must be installed by an OZEV authorised installer.

Closing Date: 31^st March 2026

Apply here: Before you start –

The Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund Pilot

The Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund Pilot is a £50 million capital grant programme supporting large-scale research and development projects within the UK life sciences sector. The fund aims to strengthen health resilience, drive innovation and deliver economic benefits through significant investments in research capacity, facilities and technologies.

Projects should demonstrate how they will enhance the UK’s ability to respond to health emergencies and long-term healthcare challenges, for example by expanding or creating R&D capacity, improving manufacturing processes, accelerating clinical research or deploying new technologies.

Closing date: 31 March 2028 (23:59)

Apply here: Life Sciences Transformational R&D Investment Fund Pilot – GOV.UK

Further business support in Surrey

If you can’t see something in this month’s roundup that suits your business’s specific needs, check out our Support Directory, or contact our team of experts via our Business Support Form.